Beyond the Battefield
by Cerulean Leader
Summary: All Misty wanted to do was to go to uni to complete a course to become a photographer, not compete on some battling team that is made up entirely of girls in order to compete nationally and against the boys' team from the same school. She wanted a normal experience, not this. Oh, Mew, help? / Pitch Perfect AU. Pokeshipping, Ikarishipping.
1. Happy Snaps

**Beyond the Battlefield: Happy Snaps**

_**by Cerulean Leader**_

_**PITCH PERFECT AU**_

_****__****__****__**ø,,ø¤º°°º¤ø,**__**Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ**__**,**__**ø¤º°°º¤ø**__**,,**__**ø**_

**************Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or Pitch Perfect. :)**

**************Rating: T.**

**************Genres: Romance, Friendship, Humour, Drama.**

**************Cover: None at the moment.**

**************Warnings: A bit of language, perhaps untrue facts.**

**************Type: Multi-chapter.**

**************Inspiration: Another story that I'm working on, actually. And the Pitch Perfect movie.**

**************Summary: All Misty wanted to do was to go to uni to complete a course to become a photographer, not compete on some battling team that is made up entirely of girls in order to compete nationally and against the boys' team from the same school. She wanted a normal experience, not this. Oh, Mew, help?**

**************Pairings: [mainly] Pokeshipping, Ikarishipping. Maybe others later on. **

* * *

"Like, Misty, are you absolutely sure that you want to go?"

A young redhead rolled her oceanic eyes at the question, dropping the suitcase at the front door to their house. She didn't bother wincing when the rubber wheels almost screeched against the white, marble floors, only adjusting the strap of her camera bag around her shoulder and gently placed her laptop case gently beside her luggage. She turned to face her oldest sister, who was dramatically trying to hold back tears while she watched Misty get ready to load her things into the boot of the taxi that was waiting outside their home.

"I'm really sure; this is a good opportunity for me. I know the university is far away, but I'll call as often as I can, okay?" Misty replied, sending Daisy a small smile. The blonde girl dropped the tissue she had been clutching onto and drew her younger sister into a hug before pressing a kiss to her cheek in farewell. "I'll miss you, Daisy. Say goodbye to Lily and Violet for me, okay?"

Daisy sighed, and slowly let her go, picking up the laptop bag and slung it over her shoulder while Misty reached for the handle and began dragging her suitcase towards the yellow car where a man was waiting with the boot open. "Are you ready to go, miss?" he asked kindly, gesturing for Misty to hand him the suitcase which she did.

"Yeah, thanks for waiting."

She stepped inside the backseat and wound down her window, seeing her sister place the laptop bag next to the suitcase, looking so forlorn that it didn't match her beauty. "I'll call you tonight, Misty?" she asked, stepping up towards the window to say a quick goodbye before the redhead left Cerulean City for the semester.

"Alright, but try not to call me too much. I'm eighteen; I can take care of myself."

The driver slammed the door shut to his spot inside the car and started the engine, signalling for Daisy to step away. Misty yelled out a last farewell before all Daisy could see was a cloud of dark smoke and the car in the distance.

The redhead looked out the window behind her, staring sadly as her hometown became smaller and smaller as they drove further and further away. She would be okay, right?

She decided to do something productive because she was going to be sitting in the car for a good three hours. Taking out her iPhone and her ear buds, she set her music playlist on shuffle and attached the speakers to her ears, hitting the play button and waited as a Simple Plan song began to echo through her ears.

Her camera was touched next, gently cupping it in her hands as she changed the lens and began to take pictures of the landscape of the busy highway they were driving down. The sight was honestly nothing special, just a few cars here and there that looked like they were competing with the taxi when it came to speed. She didn't pay any mind to that. What really caught her attention was the sky, the intriguing colour of blue and the way the birds circled it as though they were skating across the fluffy clouds that dotted the skyline.

It was nice to focus on something peaceful for a change, instead of the underwater shots she usually took in the aquarium her home had to offer and shots of her sisters modelling or water shows. With the course she was taking at the university she was heading too, it gave her freer reign to do whatever she wanted. Plus, her sisters wouldn't be around to spoil her fun.

With strumming of electric guitars and banging of drums in her ear, it didn't really match the mood she was trying to capture, so she scrolled through her playlist and quickly settled on a more quiet song, and quickly, her head was in the zone of relaxation and peace, her head lulling slightly. She sighed, packed her camera away and closed her eyes softly, allowing the music to take her away into dreamland.

With strumming of electric guitars and banging of drums in her ear, it didn't really match the mood she was trying to capture, so she scrolled through her playlist and quickly settled on a more quiet song, and quickly, her head was in the zone of relaxation and peace.,  
her head lulling slightly. She sighed, packed her camera away and closed her  
eyes softly, allowing the music to take her away into dreamland.

* * *

She must have been sleeping for a long while, because when she was woken up with a sharp jerk of the vehicle she was in, it seemed that they were only a few blocks from the university campus, if the beach shoreline was any indication. She looked startled, yanking the wire of her ear buds and turning off her music while the driver poked his head out the window and began cursing at a guy who must have ran across the road. He looked surprised and smiled, placing a hand behind his head sheepishly. "Sorry, old man!"

Misty looked through the glass of the window while the driver grumbled to himself, and saw that the guy had changed the direction of his gaze onto her. She raised her eyebrows in confusion, and his russet eyes widened before turning and running off. They must have been heading in the same direction because the taxi soon followed his path, but she lost track of where she went.

As the school came into view, she couldn't help but feel really excited. She glanced down next to her, checking that she still had her camera bag beside her and waited until the car came to a complete stop. "We have arrived at Indigo University, miss."

Getting her stuff out of the car was easy. It wasn't hard to lug it behind her, watching as the taxi drove off after he helped her retrieve them, but the tricky part would have to be finding her dorm room. "I wish May was here. At least I'd have someone to look stupid with." she sighed, rummaging through the pocket of her suitcase for the campus map and her dorm room key she had received in a package when her sister had gone to get the mail from the post office a couple of weeks ago. She really wasn't the only one who was curiously looking down at sheets of paper in her hands or scratching her head in confusion. The university was big, and it looked like there was a lot of departments. It seriously just looked like a maze.

The camera bag and her laptop case were dangling from her two separate shoulders while she wheeled her suitcase towards where more confident looking students were headed. Were those stalls she could see?

Maybe it was some sort of welcome to the freshman?

"Step up, step up, and join our elite cheer squad!" shrieked a bunch of preppy looking girls dressed in the university colours of dark blue, red and black. The captain, according to the label on the back of her uniform, was the one who was holding a loudspeaker in one hand and a pom-pom in the other. "You there," she said, pointing at Misty who inwardly groaned and walked over. "How would you like to join the Indigo Uni Gyarados' cheerleading team? Tryouts are later today!"

"Look, I'm not interested. I'm here to get through my course, not join any clubs." the redhead replied.

The other girl scowled in response. "You do know that these next few years aren't just about your education, right? It's good to make some memories as well, and I can guarantee you, that if you join the squad, you will make some awesome ones. You have a bikini-ready body and look quite athletic, so, you'd be perfect for it!" The cheerful demeanour was suddenly masked on again.

"No thanks."

Misty shrugged half-heatedly before walking off. So these stalls were here to represent the clubs that had opened up around campus? Perhaps there were some that had to do with her interests?

Her oceanic eyes scanned the lane once again, her gaze stopping when she saw the guy who had stopped her taxi earlier. A Pikachu was now perched on the top of a red and white baseball cap, and he was walking next to two guys; one had extremely spiky brown hair, a smug expression as he winked at passing girls, and one with caramel skin and dark brown hair, with a familiar lovesick look that she couldn't forgex; ever.

"Brock?" she called hesitantly, raising her hand to gain his attention.

The person turned around at the sound of the name, and she was greeted with the friendly smile that she hasn't seen in person for a only months. "Misty!" he answered excitedly. "What are you doing here?"

"I got into a Photography course." she said with a gigantic smile, motioning to the camera bag still on her shoulder. "I've been trying to find the main office so that I can get to my dorm, but I have no idea where it is."

"I'll show you around soon, but first I need to get Ash and Gary signing up for auditions."

Misty looked confused, tilting her head to the side. "Auditions?"

The guy in the hat, presumably Ash because now that she thought about it, the other male looked a lot like the renowned Pokémon professor, Samuel Oak, from Pallet Town, widened his eyes and his Pikachu let out a surprised "Chu!" He walked over to her and pointed at a group of guys, discussing a set of Pokéballs that was in the centre of their circle. "Auditions for the Boys Battle Team. They compete against other teams nationally, and I want to be on that team! It's the coolest group around on campus."

"There is a girls' team, _señorita," _Gary said, grabbing her hand and kissing it in greeting. "Are you a trainer?"

The redhead shrugged, noticing Brock's surprised expression. "I suppose." she replied, unconsciously touching her red knapsack that held about five or six Pokéballs of her own. "I'm not here to battle, though. I'm only here to complete my course and become a photographer. I don't want to battle anymore."

"Anymore?" Ash asked.

"Misty is, uh," Brock began. "How do I put this? She's in retirement now when it comes to battling."

Gary grinned. "So you are a trainer!" he exclaimed, before realisation donned his features. "Wait, I know you..."

"_That's _why I don't want to battle anymore. Brock, can you hurry up and show me to my dorm?"

Ash just stared at the girl in utter bewilderment. Not battle? There had to be something severely wrong with her for her not to battle anymore. There didn't seem to be anything wrong with her, now that he was raking his eyes over her form, other than the fact she was carrying two oversized bags on her shoulders. Pikachu leaned over his trainer's head to gain his attention, unsure of what Ash was really thinking.

"Pikapi?"

"I'm okay, Pikachu." he replied, trailing after the others who had already begun to walk off.

* * *

Misty climbed the stairs of the building that Brock had directed her too wearily, still unsure if she was headed in the right direction. This place really needed to ensure tour guides to the freshman so that they could memorise their way around _while _being shown around. A small hallway came into view, the other side revealing the sky line and seashore through the square windows that lined the wall, while the other one had the occasional door to signal dorm rooms. This had to be it.

She checked her piece of paper and grabbed her room key, and let out a heavy sigh. Time to get this over with. Hopefully her roommate was nice.

The doors were white, and in the middle, a metal plate was nailed to the wood with a number engraved into it. Her gaze passed over these numbers, hoping to see the one that housed the room assigned to her, and gleefully cheered (inwardly) when she saw hers.

The glorious number; 319.

She slid her key into the lock, turned it, and when she heard the click, opened the door slowly. She let out a surprised yelp as she was tackled into a bear hug by a more petite girl of shorter stature than herself. "You're Misty, right? It's so great to finally meet you! I'm Dawn, your roommate, and I just know that we're going to be great friends!"

Misty slowly drew away from the girl to get a good look at her. She had thick, midnight blue hair that was covered in a white beanie, and bangs were decorated with two, yellow barrettes. She had a large, charming grin gracing her lips and her eyes seemed to be the same colour as her hair.

"Um... It's nice to meet you too. I'm Misty... but you already knew that." she replied awkwardly, slowly moving towards the unoccupied, albeit blank, opposite side of the room. The walls on Dawn's side had been left white as well, but you still tell that the girl had a colourful and fun personality. Her walls were absolutely covered in posters of her favourite music artists and idols and popular events, and she had also a cork-board above her desk that had majority of it hidden by ribbons. Perhaps she was a coordinator? The girl also had pink bed covers with little hearts dotting it here and there, and on her shelf under the window sill were a collection of plushies of cute Pokémon. There were also a number of picture frames hanging from the walls and a couple next to the lamp and her mobile on the bedside table. "Whoa."

"Sorry, too much?" Dawn asked self-consciously, absentmindedly glancing at her plushie collection.

"No, it's awesome."

The blunette smiled in response. "Glad you think so. Personalise your half of the room any way you want." she explained, pointing at the walls.

"I might set up my stuff first, actually." Misty replied, dumping her suitcase onto the mattress of her sleeping area, opening it and retrieving a graphic tablet and stylus, a couple of sketchbooks and a large pencil case. She placed these gently on a desk on her side of the room, and then put her camera bag and laptop case on it as well.

"Are you an Art student?"

"I'm here to complete a Photography course. I'm triple majoring in Photography, Battling and Creative Writing."

Dawn's smile seemed to grow wider. "You're a trainer? What kind of Pokémon do you have?"

The redhead removed the knapsack from her shoulder as well. "I specialise in Water type Pokémon because not only are they my favourite type, but because my home town is right near the water. It's kind of part of my heritage and who I am as a person."

"My starter Pokémon was a Water type. I'm from the Sinnoh region, so I began with my Piplup."

Dawn was startled when Misty practically leaped over towards her, her eyes practically shooting stars at the very mention of the penguin Pokémon. "You have a Piplup? They are so adorable!" she exclaimed in excitement, all dreamy-like. It was kind of creepy the way Misty was fawning over the very thought of a water-type Pokémon. "I wish I had one!"

"Would you like to see mine, Misty?"

"Yes, please?!"

The younger girl reached for a small Pokéball on her beside table and pressed the central button in order to enlarge. "Okay, Piplup, spotlight!" she called. The two girls waited as a flash of light appeared from the sphere and eventually shaped itself to reveal a well-groomed and very happy Pokémon, with a shower of bubbles appearing to decorate its entrance more. Misty noticed a sticker on the red and white sphere as well, as it was decorated with a number of bubbles, which explained the fancy entrance.

"Piplup!" the penguin said, flapping its wings cutely.

"Aw, what a cutie!" Misty said, pulling the bird in for a hug while Piplup tried to re-gain its breath.

"Pip!"

* * *

"So, what Pokémon do you have on you at the moment, Misty?" Dawn asked as they walked through the lane together, looking at the stalls. The blunette, having admitted that she was there for a course that had her double majoring in acting and coordinating, had helped the other girl set up her Photography things on her desk before demanding that they go downstairs to check out the campus a bit more.

Misty shrugged. "Uh, my Starmie, Corsola, Psyduck, Gyarados and my sister's Dewgong."

"Whoa, that's so cool! How many sisters do you have?"

"Three, actually. Dewgong belongs to my oldest sister, Daisy, while Violet and Lily don't like training Pokémon. They've agreed to take care of my Goldeen, Kingdra and my Staryu while I'm away, though. Kingdra just evolved, so its a bit weary of who it'll stay with." the redhead explained.

"Did you say Daisy, Violet and Lily? Oh my Mew, you're a Sensational Sister!"

Misty glared at the girl, noticing that people had begun to turn around at the outburst, drawing further attention to the water-type trainer. "I might be, but don't go making a big deal out of it, okay? I'm here to get away from all of that, and because I want to pursue my dream. I've had enough of battling people and water shows. I just want to be myself."

"Right, right, sorry." Dawn said, trying to calm myself down. "But this is seriously is awesome. _You're _my roommate!"

The other girl winced as the coordinator let out yet another squeal of delight. "Yeah, yeah, let's just check out the other stalls."

The past various ones, none of them capturing the attention of either of the girls. They continued to just glance around, until Dawn finally gasped when she saw something she liked. "They have an acting club! Oh my gosh, I have to join!" she almost yelled, grabbing her roommate's arm and rushing over to the stall to where a young woman with an eerie aura about her was sitting next to a man with long hair and a baby blue mask covering his face.

"Welcome to the Acting Club stall." the woman said, clearly bored as she checked her manicure. She glanced up at Misty and Dawn, her green hair bouncing slightly. "I'm Sabrina, and this is Brycen." The other occupant of the stall raised his hand in greeting. "How can we help you?"

Dawn smiled back and grabbed a pen from a tin sitting on the table, and signing her name on a clipboard under quite a long list of other names. "I'd like to sign up for your club. I'm a freshman and an acting student."

Brycen leaned over to read her name. "It's good to have you on board, Miss Berlitz. Have you done any projects of your own?"

"I've starred in a couple of commercials and a couple of small roles in TV shows and a movie." she answered with a dazzling smile. "Nothing special."

Misty smirked, holding back a laugh as Sabrina looked less than impressed. "Whatever, welcome."

Dawn knitted her eyebrows together, but chose to ignore the coldness coming from Sabrina and began to walk away, a bounce in her step. "It's so cool that I actually made it here." she stated cheerfully. "What are you going to sign up for? Why not the Girls Battle Team?"

"I'm retired from battling, remember?"

"C'mon, just give it a shot. Apparently, they really choked last year because one of the members ended up spewing up on stage at the smell of a really stinky Skunktank because of its noxious fluids. It'd be great for the girls to win for a change. The boy and girls' teams are really competitive, and ever since the boys' team won last year, they haven't stopped teasing the girls'."

"You're really a fan."

"I've done my homework." Dawn laughed. "But seriously, give it a go. Who knows, you might like it?"

"I'm not even a very good battler. I haven't trained properly with my Pokémon for a couple of months, so they'd be a little rusty as well." Misty tried again, and grinned when Dawn pouted in defeat.

"We'll see about that."

* * *

**A/N: I really enjoyed writing this, and I hope it receives positive feedback because I skipped homework to write this (probably a bad move on my part, oh well). What do you guys think? I haven't written a Pokémon fan fic in a while, so I'm probably a bit rusty when it comes to this fandom. **

**Okay, it's not going to be exactly the same as Pitch Perfect, but they do share some similar elements, like getting roped into competing for a team and yadda yadda yadda.**

**Word Count: 3,501**

**Please consider leaving a review, they're much appreciated. :) They keep me going. Thanks again for reading!**

**~CL**


	2. Twinkle Twinkle, Little Flash

**Beyond the Battlefield: Twinkle Twinkle, Little Flash**

_**by Cerulean Leader**_

_**PITCH PERFECT AU**_

_****__****__****__**ø,,ø¤º°°º¤ø,**__**Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ**__**,**__**ø¤º°°º¤ø**__**,,**__**ø**_

**************Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or Pitch Perfect. :)**

**************Rating: T.**

**************Genres: Romance, Friendship, Humour, Drama.**

**************Cover: None at the moment.**

**************Warnings: The shower scene has been interpreted into this fic as well, so if you found that uncomfortable, don't hesitate to skip it. :) I found it a little odd to write, but it was funny in the movie, so I'm glad I added it in. The fic is rated T anyway, so you've expected it...**

**************Type: Multi-chapter.**

**************Inspiration: Another story that I'm working on, actually. And the Pitch Perfect movie.**

**************Summary: All Misty wanted to do was to go to uni to complete a course to become a photographer, not compete on some battling team that is made up entirely of girls in order to compete nationally and against the boys' team from the same school. She wanted a normal experience, not this. Oh, Mew, help?**

**************Pairings: [mainly] Pokeshipping, Ikarishipping, maybe Oldrivalshipping and others later on.**

* * *

"The aperture is the part of the camera that decides how much light is allowed to enter the lens, while the shutter speed controls how fast the camera takes pictures. When you have the camera set to manual, you control both of these things. It may be tricky when you're first learning how to…"

Misty sighed, drumming her pencil against the desk while she pressed her hand against the one ear-phone she had in. The stuff that they were being taught was almost like a recap, things that she had learned in high school when she had first taken up an interest in photography. She felt one of her pokéballs move around and she hissed in frustration. _'Don't you dare come out.' _She thought icily. Why had she brought her psyduck along again? Oh, right, because he couldn't swim and Daisy didn't want to take care of him.

She began to zone out as the lecturer droned on about how, under her guidance, they would be _master _photographers by the end of the term. It seemed almost impossible, judging by the looks of the eager looking students at the front and the losers chilling in the back, that these people were just amateurs. Not that she was that skilled, herself, but they didn't seem that experienced in the field.

Misty then decided to open up her sketchbook and flipped the pages to one where she had done little sketches. She had drawn Dawn's piplup the night before when it had fallen asleep on her bed. It was a rough outline, so she retrieved a blue pencil and started to define the lines a bit more.

"…so after the shutter speed and aperture workshops, we're going to begin our first major task; painting with light. This exercise will be to not only test the knowledge you would have gained through the workshops, but you will interpret this into a physical art form."

She smirked at the idea, her head already filled with ideas with what she could do. It had already been two weeks since school started up again, and they had hardly learned anything in the class, and the lecturer was already talking about a task? Hardly anyone would produce a decent enough final unless the teacher actually decided to teach them something relevant.

She glanced around; even the perky students who always sat at the front appeared bored out of their minds, occasionally blowing bubbles of gum or staring at the clock above the white boards.

Psyduck's pokéball rattled around again, and she immediately tensed up, hoping to Arceus that the stupid duck wouldn't pop out and that a flash of bright light wouldn't fill everybody's vision and almost blind them.

* * *

"Hey, it's about time you got back!" Dawn said, jumping up from her cross-legged position on the floor, a snake lolly hanging from the corner of her mouth. The room stunk of nail polish, curtesy of the blunette whose nails were freshly painted red. She looked ridiculously happy at the appearance of her roommate. "How was class?"

"Boring," Misty replied with annoyed sigh after she slammed their door shut, chucking her bag in the corner and sliding onto the floor with her hands on her knees. She reached towards the bowl of lollies right in the middle of their room and snagged a few for herself, popping a few into her mouth.

Dawn sniggered at the response. "I know something that could cheer you up!"

"And what would that be?"

"Joining the Girls' Battle Team!"

Misty shook her head, and her oceanic eyes hardened at the mention of it. "Would you stop telling me to join them? You've been pestering me non-stop for a solid two weeks now, and I haven't budged once. What makes you think that I will sign up eventually at all?"

"I'll find a way to make you sign up, don't you worry." Came Dawn's sly response.

Misty raised her eyebrows in confusion, allowing them to scrunch a little bit in the centre as she tried to figure out what scheme Dawn was now plotting silently in her head. The blunette was now donning a smirk and biting her bottom lip at the same time, a sign that she was indeed well on the way to planning something, and once she set her mind to something, it was hard to make her change her mind.

Last week, for example, she had bought a pair of stilettos that had cost over $100 for one of the performances the Acting Club were putting on in about a month ("Plus I have a date this weekend, and I needed a new pair of shoes."), and it had annoyed Misty to no end because she had ended up borrowing $30 from her to help pay for the monster heels.

The youngest Sensational Sister pointed at her threateningly. "I won't give in."

Dawn just poked her tongue out at Misty and decided to put on a movie.

* * *

"So, do you want to tell me why the water isn't working?"

The actress directed her gaze from the television set above the doorway, so that both girls could watch it, onto her roommate who had poked her head through the door, wearing a dressing gown and holding a utility bag. Dawn raised her eyebrows. "How should I know? I told you that you should've had one this morning when I woke you up, but _no,_ you'd rather sleep than be clean." she remarked, cheering inwardly at the view of Misty's face suddenly embarking to adorn the expression of pure and utter embarrassment.

It was seriously entertaining.

"I was tired, alright? Anyway, I'm going to take a shower downstairs."

The blunette scrunched up her nose in disgust at the mention of the other set of bathrooms that was made available to them. "You mean in the change rooms?" This university was slightly weird; to all residents, at least three bathrooms could be made available for showering; one in their own dormitory, one in the hall that everybody in that wing shared, and the public ones that people used after working out in the gym, going swimming or if they played for any teams. "They're gross. What about the one just outside?"

Misty shrugged, and held up her loafer. "Someone's inside it. I'll be back soon."

After the door shut, Dawn let out a giggle, glad that her façade worked. "Who says that you're not going to join the Girls' Battle Team? You definitely will after this."

The redhead was really oblivious to the fact that something was about to happen. When she got to the change rooms, she set her utility bag on a hook, closed the curtain and stripped off her dressing gown, hanging it up and allowing the hot water to drip over her skin, already feeling her tense muscles relaxing. She began humming a tune, allowing her hair to tumble down her back so that she could add shampoo.

That was when _it _happened.

The shower curtain was drawn back, making Misty scream so loudly that she was sure that the whole campus heard. "What the hell?!" Her dressing gown was pulled off its hook immediately and barely covered her at all. She turned around, ready to yell at whoever the asshole was who thought it was okay to pervert on her, only to see a girl in one of her battling classes, baring a large grin. But she was also nude.

"I knew it was you! You're Misty Waterflower, aren't you? Gym Leader of Cerulean City?"

Her eyes widened. "Dude, go away! I'm showering!"

The girl's long hair was tied up in a bun and she was really confident with her body, not even caring that she was completely naked, talking casually to Misty who was practically shrieking at her to leave. "Get out, you're naked!"

"I'm Leaf," the girl said, before glancing down and smiling sheepishly. "Oh, sorry, I'm just really confident in my own skin."

Misty looked up so that she wouldn't have to look. "And you should be, but can you please leave?"

"Only if you promise to audition for the Girls' Battle Team! We got creamed last year all because of that stupid Skunktank. I battled you ages ago for a Cascade Badge, but I couldn't beat you. I ended up versing one of your sister's and then got the badge from her. It'll be awesome to see how strong you've gotten since then." she replied cheerfully, green eyes shining. "Do you still have your Starmie?"

"For Mew's sake, I'm _retired! _Was it Dawn who put you up to this? It was Dawn, wasn't it?"

"Will you at least consider it, then?"

"Alright, fine, but get out!"

"Okay!"

Misty sighed in annoyance, slapping her hand to her forehead. Was she seriously going to audition? Leaf began to make her way out before the curtain was drawn back once again, revealing Gary in all his glory. He placed a hand behind his head tiredly and the other was draped across Leaf's shoulders. "I knew I had recognised you. You're really good." he said with a sleepy smile.

_"Thanks!" _

She appeared absolutely horrified by this point, tightening her grip on the dressing gown. Leaf laughed, and pushed Gary outside with her following.

"See you at auditions!"

* * *

It took a lot of things to make the youngest Sensational Sister nervous, or even the slightest bit stressed. Unless bugs were involved; she'd begin hyperventilating and screaming her head off in distress in no time. She was usually pretty laid-back until someone set off her nasty temper.

But this, oh _this, _had really done it. She was standing outside the Battle Complex, and could already hear the cheers and the cries from the creatures inside who were battling. She rubbed her hands together before reaching one down to clasp one pokéball, the cool surface reassuring against her sweaty palms. She hadn't battled in a while, so it was no secret that she was (no doubt) rusty. Was this going to be a good decision on her part? She really hoped it would be.

Misty hesitantly began to walk, already knowing what awaited her inside. Dawn had already snuck in to watch the auditions because even though she came to the university as an aspiring actress, she had come from a battling background, competing in coordinating competitions since she was ten and was actually the daughter of one of the previous champions of Sinnoh, Joanna Berlitz. It was interesting because trainers battled a lot differently to her ("Coordinators have to focus on the complete appearance mainly; poise, grace and all the sparkles that they can where.")

"Starmie, we can do this, right?" she whispered, twirling the sphere carefully. She was really not looking forward to it.

She pushed open the double doors, and everything seemed to slow down. The gazes didn't change to look at her, but she felt odd about being there. Without anyone noticing, she slipped behind a door labelled 'Back Stage', and waited in the wings while some kid battled Brock.

"Alright, Steelix, use Iron Tail!"

Misty grinned when she watched her old friend's Pokémon execute the move perfectly, hitting the Noctowl head on, causing the bird to fall to the ground ungracefully. She could hear claps coming from the audience, and a series of whoops and whistles after the referee pronounced that Noctowl was unable to battle, and therefore, Brock and Steelix won. The guy who had been versing him looked like he was about to cry. "It's okay, Noctowl, maybe next year." he said, returning it to its pokéball.

She watched as Tracey Sketchit, one of Brock's friends who had been introduced to her by him last week, clapped his hands as he walked onto the stage with another boy, this one with a big belly and a huge smile to match. "Thanks to everybody that auditioned! That wraps it up, and if you've been chosen, the Battle Teams will contact you directly. Please make your way towards the back exits to leave."

"Wait, there's one more."

Misty slowly walked out, hands inside her back pocket. Leaf was grinning from ear to ear at the sight of the redhead, and Dawn let out a, "Go, Misty!" The girl sitting beside Leaf didn't look impressed, in fact, she couldn't tell exactly what she thinking. She had long black hair, and side bangs that had been coloured red. Her legs were covered in jeans, making them looked stretched out, so it was obvious that she was unusually tall. Maybe she was the captain? "This was the girl I was telling you about." Leaf whispered to the girl.

Misty directed her gaze out towards the audience, noticing that a few boys were already sitting together. "Uh, I didn't know that we were supposed to be actually battling a member of a Battle Team, so I haven't really prepared myself properly for this."

"It's okay, just do whatever you want."

She didn't notice that Ash had heard her come in, and had walked with Pikachu right on his tail to see her and her abilities. He was now staring at her from where he was standing in the wings. He didn't know who she was, still, but all he knew was that there was something about her.

The big-bellied boy stepped up to play referee, holding up two flags, one green and the other red. "This is an audition match between Tracey Sketchit and testee, Misty Waterflower as a one-on-one battle. As soon as either of you withdraw your Pokémon without it being called to the other trainer, you're immediately disqualified."

The redhead nodded, and Brock motioned for Tracey to join her on the stage. He was already taking out his own pokéball, so she followed his example. They both walked to separate stations on either side of the stage, and the ground began to shake, opening to reveal a rocky course. _'Great,' _she thought, knowing that Brock would have put them up to this. Oh, well, she might as well get this over with, right?

"Scyther, you're up!"

She watched as her opponent threw the sphere containing the Bug-Flying type, and raised her eyebrows at his choice, for bug types were weak against rock, and the battle field was now excessively ledgy. A flash of light emitted itself from the pokéball, and eventually took form of the large, green creature with long-blades for forearms. The Pokémon looked like it had aged considerably, but she could tell that it still had the determination of a warrior and the fighter's spirit it most likely had when it was younger.

Misty rolled her own pokéball in her hand a few times before throwing it up in the air so that yet another flash of light appeared to reveal her Pokémon. "Misty _calls _Corsola!"

The coral Pokémon called out its name once the bright light shaped itself as the pink creature, and it already had a determined look on its face. See as Corsola was part-rock, she would have a potential advantage over Tracey's Scyther unless it had really high defence stats, which it seemed to have. Bug types were weak to rock types, and were resistant against water types, so Misty was not only prepared, she was perceptive.

"Okay, Scyther, start off with a Double Team!"

"Scyther!"

Corsola began to panic as the bug Pokémon began to clone itself and surround the water/rock type, looking around frantically to try and decipher the real one. "Corsola!"

Misty watched carefully, trying to notice any signs of movement from her Pokémon's opponent.

Tracey clenched his fist in triumph, a grin on his face. "Now head in with a Quick Attack and then use Slash!" His Pokémon suddenly stopped using the confusing tactic of Double Team while Corsola had its back turned, and started to speed right in towards its opponent, arms raised threateningly.

"Corsola, Mirror Coat!"

The former Gym Leader's Pokémon began to glow, belting out its name as Scyther flew back and landed on one of the rocks protruding the ground. It groaned painfully, and slowly stood up. Corsola turned around, appearing angry. "Tackle attack!" Misty called out, smiling inwardly at the rush of battling had on her again. Her Pokémon obeyed immediately, and Scyther was thrown across the room once again, landing beside a series of large boulders.

Tracey was biting his lip. Misty was fierce in battle.

Plus her Pokémon was extremely strong, just by telling from the Tackle it had just performed with clear precision. "Can you still go on?" he asked cautiously, a bead of sweat falling down the side of his head. He sighed, his stubborn Pokémon standing up slowly. It was shaking from pain. It must have hit with a lot of force. It spread its arms out wide, and yelled out its name.

"Scyther!"

He smiled at the sight.

Misty grinned at the creature's determination.

"Okay, Scyther, use Skull Bash!"

"Spike Cannon, now!"

The bug-type used its blades to block the attack, swiping them across its body while it continued towards Corsola. The coral Pokémon paused, and was hit square-on, falling on its side on impact. "Corsola!" the redhead yelled out in panic.

Corsola struggled to get up, one eye glaring at Scyther who was glaring right back coldly. Flames of determination were lit up in both of their eyes. They were both breathing really heavily, dust from the rock moving around from the their bodies hitting the hard ground. The coral Pokémon finally managed to get back on its feet.

"Alright, Skull Bash, Scyther!"

"C'mon, Corsola! Tackle, again!"

It was like this moment had happened in slow motion. Misty's nails began to dig themselves into her palms, and Tracey had resumed biting his lip hard in anticipation. Both Pokémon's heads hit each other, but Corsola was stronger in the end.

"Cor!"

Scyther fell back, groaning again. It landed on the floor in a heap, a small thud from its body hitting the ground. The dust had begun to shape itself into a cloud, so no one could see the outcome of the head-on collision. They waited for it to clear, and cheered at the sight of the fallen Scyther, and Misty's Corsola about to collapse itself. Even though the battle was short, both of these Pokémon were very strong.

"Scyther is down! The match goes to Corsola!"

"Scyther, return!" Tracey, had a proud but sad smile on his face as he held out his hand, holding the pokéball, and a red beam, the large bug Pokémon was encased inside it. "You did a good job, buddy."

Misty ran forward and scooped up Corsola into her arms with a large smile adorning her face. "Great job, Corsola! You did it!" she cheered. The Pokémon in her arms let out a pained but proud vocalisation of its name, smiling softly as its trainer to out a pokéball to return it "You deserve a good rest." After that, the redhead placed the sphere into her bag, before rummaging through for a Hyper Potion bottle. She walked over towards Tracey, who was talking to the referee. She handed him the potion, and he looked at her gratefully.

"Thank you!"

"You're welcome! Your Scyther is really strong; you've trained it well."

Tracey seemed surprised at the compliment. "That means a lot, coming from a former Gym Leader. Scyther is very strong naturally, and he didn't trust me much when I first met him. But eventually, we became really good friends. He's getting old, but he loves battling and wants to continue doing that."

"Sounds amazing."

The audience was silent throughout the conversation between the two trainers, before Dawn began clapping again, calling out her roommate's name.

"Great job, Misty!"

The redhead glanced down at Leaf and the girl beside her who was staring up at her curiously. She then began writing on a slip of paper she had in front of her, and Leaf's mouth started to turn into a small smile. It was tiny, but Misty caught sight of it.

Why had she decided to come?

* * *

**A/N: So, I actually had no idea who to put as the leader of the Girls' Battle Team; I had completely disregarded that fact, so I chose Lucy, as in the Frontier Symbol person. I know she's hardly a control freak, but I couldn't think of anyone else.**

**Also, if you have any suggestions of who you want on each of the Battle Teams (both boys and girls), please let me know. :) It would be a huge help. **

**Word Count: 3,437**

**Please consider leaving a review. :)**

**~CL**


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